Door holder



April 1940. w. E. BERNSTEIN DOOR HOLDER Filed June 29, 1959 mv oR.

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 PATENT OFFiCE DOOR William E. Bernstein, Parsippany HOLDER Troy Hills Township, Morris County, N. J assignor of onehalf to Ottorino Bonomi, Boonton, N. J.

Application June 29,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to door holding devices, and has particular reference to a device of this type to prevent any accidental movement thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having improved and simplified coordination of the parts thereof so as to be very inexpensive, and still fulfill the purposes of the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door holder having improved means so as to reliably hold a door against rattling or other -movement, and the device being adapted to be a small, compact, one piece structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved door holder which shall not require that it be permanently attached, as by screws or the like, to the door, floor or other adjacent parts, and which shall not obstruct the door entrance, nor the floor or otherwise catch on or interfere with a persons movements.

Another object of the inventionis to provide an improved door holder which shall be attachable and releasable from either side of the door.

Another object of the invention is to furnish an improved door holder adapted to serve as a lock or catch in holding the door ajar Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects'in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a door holder embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic fragmentary horizontal sectional view of a device embodying the inve tion, showing a door held ajar.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary .view in elevation of a device according to the invention and showing the door holder as mounted on a door.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, there- 1939, Serial No. 281,841

fore, is submitted merely as, showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, I0 denotes a door holder embodying the invention. The same may be in the nature of a one piece structure, formed by molding, stamping, or the like, but is preferably constructed of a single piece of wire fabricated in such a Way as to desirably avoid the need for soldering, welding, or other extra operations.

The device Ill may include a door engaging element I l, and a jamb engaging member l2, these being interconnected by a means such as the shank I3. In order to dispense with a permanent securement of the device H] to a door, which may require the use of screws or special attachments, the element H is preferably so arranged as to readily engage an already existing projection on the door, such as a knob or finger piece, for

instance, of the type that are used to manipulate v locks or catches that are present on the door.'

Since the shank 13 must project beyond the leading edge of the door, the element It is further so arranged asto be rotatable, to permit the device It to swing downward to an upright position when not in use. Hence the device If may be freely suspended on the door knob, without causing any obstruction at the leading edge of the door, to thus permit the free passage of people.

Accordingly, the element II is made of loop or ring form, and may represent the bend in the center of a length of wire. The element 1 I may be of sufiicient size to freely pass over a required door knob or handle. By forming the loop to lie in a plane at an angle to the shank I3, the latter is adapted to project crosswise of the leading edge of the door so as to extend to the jamb.

The shank I3 is preferably made by twisting together the sections of the wire to provide a reenforced, relatively strong shank. The latter may be yieldable or resilient to some extent, for a purpose hereinafter indicated.

The member [2 may be constructed so as to engage in a bolt keeper of the jamb, for instant releasable engagement therein, and without requiring any attachments or changes at the jamb. To obtain a hook-like engagement in the keeper, the member I2 desirably projects laterally of the shank, in a direction relatively opposite to that of the loop element ll To afford a snug engagement and prevent any rattling of the door, the member l2 may be made by bending the wire sections into U-shape, as shown, to thus increase the size of the member to I a knob I9.

substantially engage opposite sides of the keeper opening. With the shank I3 urging the member l2 into the keeper, a reliable door holding action is attained.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a device according to the invention, and show a typical application of the door holder I0. Thus the door frame I4, hingedly mounts the door I5 and provides therefor a jamb I6. The latter may have a recess or keeper I! for a bolt I8 that may be actuated by The loop element II is passed over the knob I9 at the inner face of the door so as to engage the neck of the knob. The shank I3 extends transversely of the leading edge of the door, with the member I2 engaged in the keeper I I to thus hold the door ajar. To cause the shank to powerfully resiliently urge the member I2 into the keeper, the construction is such that the shank is supported by the leading edge of the door, in a pivot-like manner. This has the further advantage of causing the loop element I I to hug the door knob neck, because the apex of the angle between the loop and the shank is adjacent to the leading edge of the door.

To release the door, a person need merely grasp the shank and deflect the same to remove the hook member I2 from the keeper. This operation may be practised from both inner and outer sides of the door, thus affording a decided advantage. In a reverse manner, the door may be secured ajar by manipulating the door holder at either side of the door.

It will thus be apparent that the device of this invention provides a positive holding action for a door and that by reason of its resilience, a snug condition is attainable to prevent the door from rattling under the force of the wind. Also the door holder can be readily bent for adjustment to different doors. And finally, it is detachably mounted in a very simple manner, causes no obstruction, and is neat and inexpensive.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a door holder having a shank having at one end thereof an element for rotary securement to a door, a member at the other end of said shank for releasable hook-like engagement in the bolt keeper of a jamb, said element and said member being at an angle to the shank, with the element and member projecting in opposite directions laterally of the shank, so that said elementis engageable with the door at the inner face thereof, said shank being resilient to urge said member into the keeper, and said door holder being movable to a different position by rotation of said element upon release of said member so that the door holder does not interfere with the closing of the door.

2. A device including a shank, a loop at one end thereof for releasably rotatably engaging over the knob of a door, said loop lying in a plane at an angle to the shank, and a projection at the other end of the shank projecting laterally in a direction relatively opposite to that of the loop for releasably engaging in a bolt keeper of a jamb.

3. A device including a shank, a loop at one end thereof, a projection at the other end thereof, said loop and projection extending in relatively opposite directions laterally of the shank; said shank, loop and projection consisting of a single piece of wire doubled upon itself to form the loop and being twisted to form a unitary rod-like shank, and said projection being of U-shape.

4. A device including a knob mounted on a door at the inner face thereof, a bolt keeper adjacent to the knob mounted on the jamb for the door, and means to hold the door ajar, including a loop element adapted to receive said knob so as to be mounted on the neck of the knob, a projection member releasably engageable in the bolt keeper, and a shank interconnecting said element and said member, said element and said member extending in relatively opposite directions laterally of the shank, the angle between the element and the shank being so located that the shank is operatively supported by the leading edge of the door, and said shank being resilient so as to press said member into said keeper.

5. A device including a door having a knob on the inner face thereof, and means to hold the door ajar including a loop-like element releasably rotatably engaging a portion of said knob, a projection member for releasably engaging in a bolt keeper on a jamb for the door, and a shank interconnecting said element and said member, said element and said member extending in relatively opposite directions laterally of the shank, said shank being resilient to urge said member into engagement with said keeper, and said shank having a portion thereof so pivotally supported by the leading edge of the door as to cause the element to tightly engage said knob and to cause the shank to powerfully urge said member toward the keeper, said member being released from the keeper by forcibly flexing the shank.

WILLIAM E. BERNSTEIN. 

